Picture Sicily, 1941: a beautiful spring day in the
sleepy village of Castelcuto. In the wider world, Mussolini has declared
war on France and Britain, but for narrator Renato Amoroso (Sulfaro),
this was the day he got his first bicycle, caught sight of the
irresistible Malèna (Bellucci) and fell in love. He was 13. Deposited in
the village by her new husband (away fighting for the Fascists), the
sultry siren becomes an object of desire for the local men - and scorn
for the women - as she takes her daily strolls across the square in
outfits designed to highlight every curve. Renato's lust and youthful
imagination allow his cinematic fantasies to take over, and he secretly
nominates himself as her protector, who will wreak vengeance on
detractors. Tornatore's film resorts to shameless sentimentality even as
it paints an unsympathetic portrait of small town cruelty and hypocrisy.
But the voyeuristic fetishisation of Malèna - who hardly speaks,
whether to defend herself or to offer a glimmer of personality - makes
for uncomfortable viewing. On the plus side, the cinematography is
beautifully executed.

NOTE:The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.

ADDITION -
GreenNarae Media - Region FREE
Blu-ray - September 2013: Firstly,
this 'GreenNarae Media' Blu-ray
is from Korea and is the 'UnCut' 108 minute version. I have some
issues with this new Blu-ray
transfer. I'm not familiar with how Malèna looked
theatrically but a few things on this 1080P just don't feel
right to me. Aside from the saturation and high level of
brightness, I felt, especially in the first 20-minutes of so
that I could see some moiring although I couldn't pin it down
when doing the screen captures - I also felt that about every
3rd frame was unnaturally hazy (not interlaced - a different
issue). The software doesn't support this so it is only my
feeling - more notable when doing the screen grabs. It's hard to
believe that the film was this bright (see capture 2 - the
horizon ocean or capture #1 - the, supposedly, pink flowers on
Malèna's dress) where detail is lost in the 'flaring'. I could
be wrong but you can judge the captures for yourself. It is
dual-layered with a high bitrate. It DID look
superior to the SD renderings that I have seen. Like the Korean
Spectrum transfer it is quite yellow.

The audio sounds solid via a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround at a
resounding 3561 kbps. Morricone's score is beautiful and
certainly benefits from the lossless - as does the overall
presentation. There are some subtle separations and the film's
bass never really tests

the healthy audio transfer. There are Korean or English subtitle
options and both the Blu-ray
disc and the included DVD are region FREE and, both, the 'UnCut'
version.

Supplements are either Italian with only Korean subtitles or
briefly in English (TV Spots, Trailers). The package is a funny
one, a transparent standard Blu-ray case is included - attached
on top of the slipcase enclosed Digipak. But, strangely, it is
empty but satisfying those who prefer the order of a regular
Amaray on their shelf. See my photo below.

I'm hesitant on this GreenNarae Media
Blu-ray
- the issues are there, but the lack of a more competent
(reputable) production transferring - the 'Uncut' reaching 1080P
anytime soon seems less likely. This may be the best we get.

***

ON THE DVDs: Well, what we learn from
this comparison is that the R1 version has been shortened (see times
above) by almost 15 minutes, and from what I have been able to determine
is that it is mostly some nudity and sexual content in Malèna and the young boy
that have been cut. My advice to the censors would have been keep the
sex and nudity and remove the extensive graphic violence of the towns-women beating Malena
publicly.

No
real reason to get the Medusa R2 PAL version unless you are
over-the-moon about the film and speak Italian. The extras and film
on the R2 Medusa DVD have no English subtitles. The inclusion of the Morricone CD is a nice touch, but the limitation of 3000 copies smells
like a bit of a scam to me. All glitz in the packaging as this edition
certainly does not deliver on the image quality front. Very hazy and
poorly transferred make the Region 1 look extremely sharp in comparison.
The Medusa version has fiddled with the contrast in some parts and the
colors in others, hence we have a hazy, dark and over saturated look at
times. Yeah, we all wouldn't mind seeing more of Monica Belluci nude,
but stick with the cut R1 until the full version with a decent image
comes out... which may be never.

ADDITION (Spectrum) -
The new Spectrum disc looks like a direct port
from the Limited Edition Region 2. In fact I think the picture may be
slightly inferior. It has the same darkness and saturation with slim
faced characters. We are still recommending the cut ( censored ) Region
1 release from Miramax. Again, those huge fans of the film may wish to
pick this up as opposed to the Region 2 which has no subs.